Star Wars actor John Boyega will portray Otis Redding in a new biopic about the late soul singer's decade-long relationship with his widow, Zelma Redding, who'll be played by Danielle Deadwyler (Till).
As Variety reports, Otis & Zelma is set to be directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples and produced by Fifth Season. The film's screenplay was written by playwright, screenwriter and actor, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, and "celebrates the 10 short years Otis and Zelma had together, and their eternal love story after his passing," according to an early synopsis of the project. "Zelma's resilience and determination to preserve his musical legacy for the last 56 years fuels her, just as much as Otis's love for Zelma fuelled him."
The news of Otis & Zelma arrives with the full support of Zelma Redding and the Otis Redding estate.
The hitmaker behind "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay," "Try a Little Tenderness," "Hard to Handle," "These Arms of Mine" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long" tragically lost his life in a 1967 plane crash at age 26, leaving behind Zelma and their three young children.
Redding is receiving a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this Friday (October 4).